The statement continues, "An avid smoker for 25 years of his younger life, he died of cancer of the esophagus. He was 80 and still strong enough to have filmed a Doritos commercial 2 weeks prior to his passing, and he continued to work on his biography with his writing partner."

Aside from playing the crazy, rapist Mountain Man in "Deliverance" -- he also starred in 7 Clint Eastwood flicks ... including "The Outlaw Josey Wales."